New report: Death Rate for Maine Military Personnel in Afghanistan Higher than Any Other State

Press Release

One more reason why war should be brought to an end quickly

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree said today a new report shows that Maine is losing more military personnel in Afghanistan per capita than any other state in the country.

"After ten years of war almost everyone in Maine knows someone who has been killed or injured fighting overseas," Pingree says. "But these new figures show just how hard this war has hit Maine families. It's just one more reason we should bring all our troops home as quickly as possible."

The U.K. Guardian used Department of Defense data to analyze deaths of U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan (http://goo.gl/C6AvE) and reported:

Texas and California have lost the most people in Afghanistan - 103 and 120 by the end of May this year. They have also had the most wounded - 836 and 951, respectively. But they are also the most populous states and if you look at deaths per capita, a different picture emerges, with tiny Maine hit the hardest - 1.52 deaths per 100,000 people.

According to the report, 20 Maine military personnel have been killed in Afghanistan and 70 have been wounded.

This week Pingree reacted to President Obama's speech on Afghanistan by saying, "A complete end to U.S. involvement Afghanistan needs to come quickly and…it's time to bring all our troops home and stop spending over $8 billion a month in Afghanistan. We can't afford it and it isn't making American any safer."

Pingree also recently voted against a major defense authorization bill that contained additional funding for the war in Afghanistan and co-sponsored a bill that would require the President to present a plan for a complete withdrawal of U.S. forces.

Source